“See that one?” Ethan says, pointing at a strip of stars that may or may not be a constellation. “That’s Cassiopeia, and that one is Orion, and that one’s Steve.”

I giggle, and it eggs Ethan on.

“That one is Phyllis, and there’s Charlie. Over there, Esmerelda.”

“And that one…” I point up, tracing my finger in the shape of a top hat, even though there aren’t necessarily stars to back it up. “That one is Ethan.”

Ethan tips his head to the side and looks at me. “Oh, I love you, Angel. This is the best night I’ve had in such a long time.”

“I love you, E.T.,” I say. “This is the best night I’ve ever had,”

He grabs my hand. “Well, sure,” he says, smiling. “One up me.”

— Chapter 53 —

Robert is cooking breakfast again. It’s a Thursday morning. I just played the restaurant last night and the bar over the weekend. Robert can’t find reliable bands. I draw crowds. I sell CDs. So it’s not like I’m complaining, but I’m tired. Every morning when I wake up, I feel like a bag of bones.

Ethan is drinking coffee and pushing scrambled eggs around his plate. “Why don’t you ever make pancakes?” he says.

“April doesn’t like pancakes. Hey, honey.” Robert kisses my cheek when I walk in the room. “I need a favor. That Celtic band canceled.”

Tightness creeps up from my belly and into my throat. I burst into tears and run to the bathroom.

I hear Robert talk, but I can’t hear what he says. Ethan’s response is clear. “She’s pregnant, you dope.” I don’t know how he knows. It wasn’t even something I let myself think.

Robert opens the bathroom door without knocking. He sits on the side of the tub next to me. His eyes are full and shiny. He hugs me, kisses my head. “She’s going to be beautiful,” he says.

— Chapter 54 —

Ethan has job offers to teach at Oberlin, DePaul, and Ithaca, but he swears he’s right where he wants to be. He loves the baby too much. He loves me too much and I need him, so he can’t possibly go. He says he needs to be needed. It’s this heartbreaking thing, because we all know it would be best for him to take one of those jobs, and then the thought of being here without him is too hard to even think about. It’s so selfish for me to need him the way I do, but I can’t help it.